Gladys Dankel

Gladys Dankel, a resident of Arizona since 1961, died Wednesday the 15th of March at Freedom Plaza Center. Born February 20th in Allentown, Pa., Gladys graduated from Liberty High School in 1943. Gladys worked as a secretary and was promoted to manager of a wholesale fabric department company in the Valley until her retirement in 1984. Gladys was an expert seamstress who made most of her daughters’ clothes and loved knitting and a wide variety of crafts. She was famous for her cooking and baking Christmas cookies not just for her family and friends but also for church events, Pennsylvania picnics and her daughter’s students at Litchfield Park Elementary. Gladys always enjoyed meeting friends, old and new, and had a wonderful, outgoing attitude with a smile that could light up a room. She always enjoyed attending church first at Calvary United Methodist Church in Maryvale in Phoenix and latterly at First United Methodist Church in Sun City where she assisted for a time greeting everyone as they arrived for the Sunday service. She is preceded in death by Jay L. Messerschmidt, Joan M. Messerschmidt and William Dankel. She is survived by her daughter, Faye Swan, who resides in Ballater, Scotland. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to West Side Food Bank, 13050 W. Elm St., Surprise, AZ  85378. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday March 28th at First United Methodist Church, 9849 N. 105th Ave., Sun City. Menke Funeral Home, Sun City, has been entrusted with arrangements.